Being prepared for a storm is very important. To illustrate this point, permit me to tell you a story: Some years ago, a television news camera crew was on assignment in southern Florida filming the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew. The camera panned the area where, amid the devastation and debris, one lone house was still standing on its foundation. The owner was cleaning up the yard when a reporter approached him and said, “Sir, why is your house the only one still standing? How did you manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?” “I built this house myself,” the man replied. “I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2x6 roof trusses, I used 2x6 roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to the Florida code could withstand a hurricane (storm). Well, may I say, ‘I did, and my house did.’ It could be that no one else around here followed the code.” This story gives us a good example of how one may survive a storm … be prepared!

On a spiritual note, I am reminded of that moving hymn, “It is Well with My Soul,” written by a Presbyterian lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford (1828-1888) and composed by Philip P. Bliss (1838-1876). Without doubt, it’s a matchless and deeply moving hymn that has long been cherished by people everywhere. As you may know, the story began when Spafford received news that his four daughters had drowned on a voyage to Europe when the ship went down (he later learned that not all had perished in the sea and were safe). After boarding a ship himself, he made the voyage to the exact spot where his family had endured shipwreck. Once there, Spafford looked over the waters where the tragedy occurred. Moved to tears by the sight, he sat down and wrote this poignant text that so accurately described his own personal grief -- “When sorrows like sea billows roll …” From that beginning sprang the words of the hymn, “It is Well with My Soul.” We should remember that Horatio Spafford did not dwell on the theme of “life’s sorrows and trials.” Instead, he focused on the third stanza which spoke of “the redemptive work of Christ” and also on the fourth verse which anticipates “His Glorious Second Coming.” Spafford has given us an example: When the difficult storms of life come our way (whether they are natural, emotional, or financial disasters), God will give us the strength to endure them and the ability to look beyond the tragedies of life to that blessed hope we have in Him of eternal life.

Are you prepared for the storms that will come in your life? A genuine believer in Christ may be tattered and worn by wind storms and life storms, but faith and endurance are the keys to bring us through them. As such, I close with this Scripture to encourage us all: “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19)